


My Way Home Is Through You

by doctorkaitlyn, lizzicleromance



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Boyfriends, Canon Gay Character, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, POV Alternating, POV First Person, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-19
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-13 01:33:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1207888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorkaitlyn/pseuds/doctorkaitlyn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizzicleromance/pseuds/lizzicleromance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are so many reasons why Daryl Dixon and Glenn Rhee, two men from completely different walks of life, should not be together. Glenn's father, Daryl's brother, and the fact that they are surrounded nearly day in and day out by swarms of flesh eating walkers are amongst the biggest of those reasons ; but not even the zombie apocalypse or homophobic family members can keep Daryl and Glenn apart from one another.</p><p>* This is co-written with the goddess of the Daryl/Glenn ship, Doctor Kaitlyn. <3 She is going to be writing Daryl's character, and I am going to be writing Glenn's. The story takes place in various seasons throughout the Walking Dead, spoiler warning is in full effect though we are re-writing the fuck out of it. :D</p><p>* Song title comes from the most amazing band ever, My Chemical Romance's "My Way Home Is Through You" <3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "You could be my unintended choice to live my life extended..."

Some people may think that I’m absolutely crazy for preferring to live in this psychotic, adrenaline-fueled, apocalyptic world that’s filled with the wandering undead, all of whom are busily trying to kill you so they can feast on you.

But really and truly, that is the only legitimate downfall to the world that I find myself living in now, vs. the world I used to live in back when everything was normal.

In fact, despite the walkers that are constantly trying to ruin the day, my life now is pretty damn sweet. Who would have thought that it would take the world going to absolute hell in order to find everything that I’ve ever wanted?

Sure, back before the world fell to pieces by these God forsaken zombie pricks, there was electricity and running hot water. But there was also a lot of other bullshit, too.

My so-called friends, my condescending family, my mediocre job, and my small, over-priced apartment, for example...

I lost everything and everyone I ever had in my old life, and that was painful enough. But somehow, in this walker infested world that my new life is taking place in, along the way I have found a place that I could truly call my home. It wasn’t much, to be honest; but the other people who live here in this quarry with me are some of the greatest people that I have ever met. They are truly great enough for me to consider them my family. These people depend on me to bring back supplies that will help keep them safe. Supplies that will keep their stomachs full as well as the basic amenities that will make living in this new world just the slightest bit easier.

Thanks to this wonderful group of people, I have finally found my purpose, and that in itself is an absolute miracle.

But even more importantly than all of those above mentioned things... I found _him_. He is the absolute love of my life; someone who is the very definition of the word perfection. He is truly the most gorgeous person that I have ever met, inside and out. He is the epitome of brave, strong, and resilient. He is completely selfless, always so giving to the group and to myself and never expecting anything back in return.

For lack of a better description, Daryl Dixon is a miracle; my shining ray of light in this dark and fucked up world that we now live in.

It literally took the world going to absolute shit in order for me to find everything I had been struggling for so long to find before walkers took over the place and claimed it as their own. My purpose, a place to call my home, a family that loves and cares for me, and the most perfect man in all of existence to fight beside me are amongst the things that I’ve gathered along the way, and when I think about it that way, the end of the world isn’t entirely bad.

Despite nearly dying once, or several times a day, I actually can’t ever recall a single time that I’ve been happier than I am right now.

Sure, we have to sleep with literally one eye open every night, and Daryl and I often find ourselves getting separated when we go on our respective missions; me gathering supplies and him out hunting for food. Those sometimes extended periods of time away from each other are always the hardest, but it always makes each mission that much more rewarding because at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, we always come back to one another.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s so hard to think that my last day in ‘the real world’ was spent getting fired from my less than mediocre job. I made it home to find an eviction notice on my front door. When I explained to my father that I needed a place to stay, he called me a useless faggot and kicked me out of his house for the second time because to him, I was such a failure at everything. 

My beat up car, which had contained most of my belongings from the apartment I no longer had the privilege of living in (due to being two months behind on paying my rent), had gotten towed because I was parked so strategically next to a fire hydrant.

I remember sitting at a bar, feeling sorry for myself. I remember getting trashed out of my mind, and being so drunk that I actually wound up getting arrested and thrown in jail for being a drunken nuisance and a public disturbance. I remember thinking that I would never get out of that place, considering I only had $12 to my name and nobody would donate even a penny to pay for my bail so I could get out.

I remember feeling like things couldn’t possibly get any worse, but in the next moment... they did.

All hell had literally broken loose. What I had always seen in those zombie horror movies that I loved so much when I was growing up had become a reality. I was suddenly the star of my own personal horror movie, while the world around me began to crumble and burn and rot away.

I felt a somewhat strange sense of pride, considering all of the things I knew and loved had been ripped apart from me, and now none of it mattered in the slightest bit. I thought I had it hard when I was trying to keep my head above water in the real world, but the term ‘survival’ had suddenly gained a whole new meaning. I truly was trying to survive in order to stay alive. Believe it or not, I have had a lot more luck in somehow surviving in this fucked up new reality that I found myself living in, rather than the one I now realize that I loathed and hated with literally every fiber of my being.

Sure, I miss my family. I love them, deeply, and I hope that they are still alive. I hope that they made it out okay. But I don’t waste my time or my thoughts wondering if they ever think of me, because I know the answer to that already. I don’t miss the guy I had been seeing; the one who was ‘too afraid of commitment’ and pretty much used me only for sex. I don’t miss my so-called friends, considering they only ever really came around whenever it was convenient for them, or if they needed me for something.

I don’t miss paying taxes, or earning a small paycheck that barely contained enough to keep my water shut on, or kept my stomach full.

I do miss my video games. I miss watching Dexter. And occasionally, I do miss having a comfortable bed to sleep on, or hot, running water to shower twice a day with.

But honestly, I wouldn’t trade any of those things in the world for what I have now. 

Sure, Daryl and I live in a tent and most of our days are spent apart because he is out hunting and I am out gathering supplies, but having him by my side is literally the most amazing thing in the whole entire world. His eyes brighten up the darkness that consumes the world around me. His strong arms are my home, they are where I belong and the only place I ever wish to be.

And when he smiles, God, it makes every little thing that we have to go through on a daily basis more than worth it. The fact that I live in constant fear every time we are forced apart is overshadowed by the sheer faith that no matter what happens, we will always find our way back to one another.

I was so hopelessly lost before I found this group of amazing people that I call my family; before I found him. I know that every moment of the day is extremely precious, considering we are living in such a violent, terrifying new world. It’s scary as all hell knowing that the people we have come to know and love could be snatched away from us at any given moment, and I am absolutely terrified of losing any more of them. We have already lost so many... I know that the worst of it has yet to come, but until then, I will cling with every last bit of my heart and soul to what I have now; a home. It may not be much, but it’s more of a home than anywhere I’ve ever lived before.

I have a family. They are an eclectic group of people, all from different walks of life, but they are good people that I will happily put my life on the line for each and every day to help protect and keep them safe.

And most importantly, I have Daryl Dixon. I will never know what I did to deserve him, but I am so grateful every single day that our paths have crossed. He is the most amazing part of my life, and I can’t think of anyone better to spend every day fighting side by side to stay alive with.

He always has my back and I always have his. But most importantly, Daryl Dixon has my heart and somehow, I have his, and I will protect him even if I have to die trying.

There is absolutely nothing in the whole world more important than that. The world may be a dark, ugly place now, but then again, wasn’t it always a pretty ugly place to begin with?

When I look over at him and see his gorgeous face, I know that not all hope is lost. When his eyes dart up from sharpening one of his arrows to meet my own, and his face breaks into a smile that glides effortlessly in my direction, I know that there are still truly beautiful things in this world because moments like this with him exist.

These are the moments that I keep with me, tucked safely away in my memory every time I need a reason to help me believe that everything is going to be okay.

I make my way over to him, and kneel down in front of him. Daryl is all smiles as I do so, and he quickly sets his arrows and knives aside so he can focus completely on me. He removes the hat from my head and runs his fingers through my hair, grinning softly as he does so.

In this moment, as my eyes drift blissfully shut from the sensations of Daryl’s skillful fingers upon me, I can almost forget that there are flesh-eating creatures out there that are just waiting to devour and tear me, my love, and my newfound family apart and have each of us for a late night snack.

I hear the leaves on the ground rustle slightly, but I know that it’s just Daryl advancing just the slightest bit closer to me. His hands have journeyed down to cradle either side of my face, and I can feel his lips ghost lightly over my own, and I cannot help but smile.

“I love you, Daryl,” I gently murmur amongst his lips; my eyes still closed as I do so. It’s the first time I’ve ever said those words to someone who wasn’t a family member, and they glide right off of my tongue with very little effort.

Daryl presses his lips against my own a bit more deeply then, with a bit more fervor than before; kissing me as if his life depends on it, and I meet his passionate kiss with an equal amount of fervor. I know all too well that every moment of every day, my life does depend on these moments with Daryl. These are the moments that keep me going even when I have lost all faith and all hope.

Daryl’s tongue gently glides past my lips to collide and tangle with my own, and I am all too happy to oblige the perfection before me any little thing that his heart desires.

After several moments of the most amazing kiss that I have ever experienced, he pulls away, and only then do I dare to open my eyes. He is staring back at me, wearing the most brilliant smile I have ever seen him wear before.

He presses his lips to my own once again, and I can’t help but smile once again as he does so.

“I love you, too, Glenn,” he all but whispers in that magical voice of his, and I know that in this moment, I am the absolute happiest that I have ever been.

I’m young and in love, and nothing, whether it be my father, Merle, or the zombie fucking apocalypse, can do anything to change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra special love goes to my lovely co-writer doctorkaitlyn for introducing me to the wonderful world of Daryl/Glenn and inspiring me to write this. <3


	2. 'cause I see you lying next to me, with words I thought I'd never speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Kaitlyn here! I think Lizzy mentioned this last chapter but I'll be writing as Daryl. We'll be alternating POV's every chapter and, fair warning, we will probably be altering the hell out of the timeline. (: I haven't written first person POV in a really, really long time so I hope that it came okay and I hope you enjoy! xo.
> 
> Title of this chapter comes from the song Famous Last Words, by My Chemical Romance. <3

Back home, even before the dead suddenly decided they had a hankering for living flesh, people died all the time. It was reported in the ten-page newspapers that existed in every town in the county, spread from person to person by old gossips who just lived to tell tales. Hardly a day went by where I didn't hear about someone kicking the bucket somehow; whether it was some good ol' boy crashing his truck while drunker than a fucking skunk or some guy who bit a bullet when his woman left him, there were always people dying. 

People were either dying or getting married. They got married, they got divorced, they got back together again. They shacked up with someone, they left, they moved back in, they cheated, so on and so forth. I'd tried it once; getting married that is, when I was hardly more than a damn kid with nothing more than a farm that was falling apart and a GED. She'd been a tiny little girl I'd known from high school, one hell of a looker with a smile that could knock you senseless. We didn't get married so much as we eloped; we'd been dating two months and she brought up the idea and rather than running the other way, I went along with it. Getting married seemed like it would solve all my problems; I was convinced that if I got hitched to this wonderful girl, I wouldn't think about guys anymore. I wouldn't wake up to sticky sheets because I'd been dreaming about some gorgeous boy doing all sorts of things with his mouth. If I bought into it, if I married her and tried as hard as I could to be a good (or at least passable) husband, those dangerous thoughts would go away. 

They didn't. We were married three months and if anything, the thoughts got worse. I stopped sleeping with her two months in, for both of our sakes; I couldn't get it up with her, not without imagining things that made me hear Merle's voice calling me a faggot in my head and even though she'd been kind the first few times it happened, I didn't want to subject her to it anymore. 

I tried to stay away from home. I drank a lot, I stayed out all night in the woods, hunting and tracking, doing anything to keep my mind off the urges I could hardly bear to acknowledge, let alone satisfy. Looking back on it, when I was home, I was an absolute bastard to her. She didn't deserve it, not at all, but I was twenty and full of shame and disgust at myself and though I never lashed out with my fists, I raised my voice more than enough to make up for it. 

I wasn't that surprised when I came home and she was in bed with Merle. We got the marriage annulled the next week (irreconcilable differences, what a fucking catch-all phrase) and she shacked up with my brother for awhile until he beat the shit out of her while he was drunk and after that, we never heard from her again. 

I didn't think much 'bout relationships after that and even after the walkers started chomping on whoever they could reach, it didn't occur to me to think about dying either. When you're up against those fuckers, you can't overthink it. You just gotta go with your gut, let your instincts guide you and move like hell. There's no room for thinking when you're up against a crowd of dead people with nothing more than the skin of your teeth and a few arrows. 

It wasn't until I met _him_ that I actually started thinking 'bout death. Not about the physical act itself, really, more about what would happen when I inevitably bit the dust; because for the first time in years, I had someone besides Merle, someone who actually gave a rat's ass if I lived or died and it was the most terrifying thing in the fucking world. 

Maybe that was why I stayed away from him at first. The kid had my number from the get-go; even right after he showed up at the quarry camp, stumbling up the road with nothing more than a tattered rucksack and the clothes on his back, he was impossible to ignore. His ingenuity, his determination to stay positive, the grin that popped up on his face on occasion; hell, I don't know what it was, truth be told, but at the time, it had been fucking annoying. I couldn't afford to make connections with anyone, especially with Merle constantly breathing down my fucking neck, constantly reminding me that once the time was right, once we had lulled them all into a false sense of security, we were going to rob the camp blind and take off in the middle of the night. 

Am I gonna say that I'm happy that Merle got left on that rooftop, like an animal or a piece of trash? No, not at all. Even though Merle was... well, even though he was Merle, pure and simple, that didn't negate the fact that the man was my brother. He was the only blood-kin I had remaining in the world and the fact that he'd died in such a stupid way still serves to make me angry. 

But even if I'm not happy that Merle's dead, I can safely say that life got a little easier once he kicked the bucket. I didn't have to waste so much energy playing into the role of the perfect Dixon. I was free to talk to whomever I wanted to talk to, without worrying about Merle being behind me, ready to whip out a lecture if I so much as said one wrong word. Sure, that didn't meant that I made good on that opportunity; after all, even if Merle had partly brought about his own demise, Officer Friendly and T-Dog had made a contribution to it too and I wasn't gonna be ready to whip out a guitar and sing Kumbaya with them anytime soon. 

But then there was Glenn; the goddamn kid who never stepped over the line but toed it every single day. The kid who looked at me across the campfire, who sat on watch with me when sleeping in Merle's nicotine-laced tent just wasn't plausible, who wasn't afraid to scream at me when I was dead-set on burning the bodies of those who got killed in the walker's attack on the camp. 

He made the first move that night, while the air was still filled with the smoke of rotting corpses and the sound of Jim slowly, yet surely, dying. The camp was still a fucking mess; there were clothes and the possessions of the dead strewn across the place and the ground was littered with spent cartridges and splinters from makeshift weapons. I'd been sitting on one of the logs around the dying fire, scraping dirt out of the crevices of my crossbow because frankly, sleep wasn't a option. He'd been doing the first watch and once the old man replaced him, he came over and sat down beside me, baseball cap pulled down over his forehead, fingers nervously twitching against his thighs and before I could mutter anything, one of his hands shot out and closed around mine. 

Now _that_ had been a fucking shock and for the longest time, I'd simply stared at where his fingers were wrapped around my knuckles, trying to make some goddamn sense out of the thoughts that had piled into my brain all at once. Finally, I dropped my knife to the ground and twisted my hand so that his fingers slotted in between mine and his grateful sigh was impossible to miss. 

That was how it started: just holding hands, like a bunch of kids or something. I'd never expected that it would lead to falling for the kid, for being scared for his fucking life, for feeling my stomach drop below my balls whenever he came back from a run with blood on him. I hadn't signed up for that at _all_ but it was funny; once you let your guard down a little bit, like I did once Merle kicked it, it was really fucking hard to get that guard back up. And slowly, bit by bit, the kid chipped away at those walls, taking his time, waiting until the cover of night before he made his moves. 

Truth be told, I'm still really not that bothered by the thought of my own death. We've all gotta go some day and doesn't make much difference what it's from.

Glenn's death, on the other hand? Well, that's plain fucking terrifying because, whether or not I'd wanted it to happen, I've fallen for him hook, line and sinker. He's the first person I ever said _I love you_ to where I meant it and even if I'd stumbled on the words dozens of times before they finally came out of my mouth, the bright grin on his face just before he said _I love you too_ was more than worth the humiliation.

I go out every day and do my best to find supplies, to nab squirrels and rabbits to supplement our meager supply of canned food, I do whatever it takes to survive. But I don't do it for myself; I do it for the others, for Rick and his family and the old man. 

I do it for Glenn.


	3. So take care and don't go too far; I will miss you so...

“Mmm...” I sighed out, feeling completely blissful as those all too familiar lips began to coax me out of my slumber.

My eyes were still closed from the previous state of deep sleep that I was in, but the feeling of Daryl’s lips upon my own was far better than any dream that I’ve ever had.

As I felt Daryl begin to pull away, I quickly retaliated by wrapping my arms as tightly around my boyfriend’s muscular frame, holding him in place. I leaned up slightly, just to further deepen the kiss, wanting it to last for as long as possible as soft whimpers crept out of my mouth to disturb the otherwise peaceful silence of our tented sanctuary.

“Don’t go,” I murmured, not daring to open my eyes just yet. I couldn’t help but notice that my breathing had become just the slightest bit unsteady as I held Daryl close to me. To say that I wasn’t quite ready to get up and face yet another day apart from him was the understatement of the year.

“Please, not yet.”

I heard Daryl let out a sigh as he kissed me back, seemingly with everything that he had, as if to prove a point. When the kiss finally did end, I lay beneath him, breathless and blissful from the force of such an amazing kiss as Daryl nuzzled his forehead gently against my own.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied; his voice husky and thick with the very last remnants of sleep.

When I finally dared to open my eyes, they landed upon the absolutely gorgeous man that was still hovering over me. The early morning colors of the sky were beginning to filter in through the tent, causing my breath to damn near hitch within my throat as I saw that absolutely angelic face grinning softly back at me; Daryl’s blue eyes twinkling back at me as he held my gaze.

“‘Mornin, gorgeous,” Daryl murmured, as his fingers began to trail lazily along the smooth skin on my chest, leaving goosebumps behind as a reminder that he had been there.

“Good morning,” I somehow managed to croak out. I could feel my cheeks brightening significantly due to the little compliment that Daryl had just given me. I still wasn’t used to being woken up this way, with kisses and that sweet, gentle smile of his, with the cuddles and kind words to go along with them. I’ve dreamed of having a love like this for literally my entire life, and I swear, not even my dreams could have prepared me for just how fucking wonderful all of this would be.

Daryl was literally the sweetest person in the world, and I am more than lucky to have been able to break down those walls that he had originally built up so highly around him back when we first met all those months ago.

If only there wasn’t the constant threat of walkers lurking around everywhere, then life would be damn near perfect.

“How much time do we have?”

The look that Daryl gave me was pained at first, before he shrugged, and leaned his body forward so that he was now fully on top of me. I lost every last train of thought as our lips collided, hungrily, and I allowed Daryl to fully take control and do whatever it was that he pleased with me.

His lips were on my neck within seconds, reducing me to a whimpering mess beneath his gorgeous body.

“ _Oh_ , Daryl...”

Considering it was still early, I really did have every intention of trying to keep from waking the entire camp up with the highly pleasured moans that Daryl was coaxing out of me, but dammit, when he begins to do those magical things with his lips and fingers and tongue, I simply cannot help myself.

He kissed a trail up to my ear, pausing to nibble on the lobe for a moment, before speaking in that ultra sexy southern drawl of his. “Someday soon, I promise you we’ll sneak off all by ourselves,” Daryl said, as his hands traveled down to begin fumbling with the waistband of my boxers. As he slid the fabric down my hips and thighs, he added, “An’ I promise, we can take our time and enjoy each other for as long as you like. An’ I will do anythin’ your kinky lil’ heart desires, and you can be as _loud_ as you want, but for now...”

I felt my heart swell and burst all at the same time as Daryl said those words to me, and couldn’t help but to smile brightly at him.

“That sounds like a fucking plan,” I replied, kissing him enthusiastically as I helped to rid him of his jeans. As I slid the fabric down over his hips, I couldn’t help but to pause for a moment, simply to thank every higher power possible for the simple fact that Daryl Dixon never wore any underwear.

“’Was hopin’ you’d say that,” Daryl grinned, as he leaned in to connect our lips together once again.

As I lay beneath the most amazing man that I have ever known, several different thought processes crossed my mind. Of course I had picked up on the little promise that Daryl had just made to me, but I didn’t miss the underlying tone of everything he had just said, either.

I knew that even though it was still very early, we both had things that we needed to go out and do. I was due to replace Dale on watch any minute now, and Daryl hated leaving to go off to hunt after the sun had already been out for more than an hour or so. Our time together this morning was going to be brief, but the sooner we go out and do what we have to do, the sooner we can come back to one another.

With this thought in mind, I reached over to fumble around in the random pile of sleeping bags for our discarded bottle of lube, and hurriedly took his gorgeous, generous length into my other hand. Daryl let out a very enthusiastic series of grunts and groans as he fucked up into my hand, helping me along so we could get this erotic little show on the road.

He pried the bottle of lube from my fingers then, and quickly got to work on getting me stretched out and ready for him. He pressed his lips to my own, in a feeble attempt to swallow each of the moans that were threatening to spill from my mouth like a waterfall.

As Daryl continued to thrust his fingers in and out of me, I couldn’t help but fall just the slightest bit more in love with him, if at all possible. No matter the tasks that we both had to take on for the day, it was obvious that this moment right here between the two of us was by far the most important thing on Daryl Dixon’s agenda for the day.

“Alright, you ready for me?” Daryl asked, always more than thorough with every one of his ministrations.

I nodded, giving him the go-ahead to coat himself up. He was lathered up within seconds, before moving to once again hover himself over me. As Daryl began to slide inside of me, it was now my turn to swallow all of the beautiful noises that were falling from his lips with my own.

“Oh fuck, you always feel so damn good,” Daryl breathed out, and I couldn’t help but quite literally melt as emotionally into him as his body physically melted completely into my own. Though we haven’t been together for more than a few months, it had taken us awhile to get to this point where we could be open and vocal about our feelings about one another. I’m not sure if it’s because nobody else is around, or because the end of the world simply has a tendency of invoking these feelings, but whatever it is, I sure am grateful for it.

Once Daryl was fully seated deep within me, he stopped to pause for a moment, as he customarily did every time we were close like this to allow me a moment to get used to the overwhelming feeling of having him inside of me.

It took no time at all for the adjustment period to wear off; we did this fairly often enough to where my body was used to the very welcome intrusion of Daryl’s length inside of me. I leaned up to connect my lips to his once again; this time a bit more passionately than before, entwining my tongue with his for a moment or two simply because I knew that this drove him completely wild.

“Ready when you are,” I said with a devious smirk once the kiss had broken, and with a seductive little half grin of his own, Daryl immediately reacted, by beginning to thrust deeply into me as if his life depended on it. My hips were like a magnet for his own, meeting up perfectly in time to match his demanding pace as if _my_ life depended on it.

In some sort of twisted way, my life actually did depend on moments like these with Daryl. And I don’t by any means mean just the physical act of being with Daryl, but simply, _being_ with Daryl. It’s the blue of his eyes, the warmth of his arms, the curve of his smile, the beating of his heart; all of that, and so much more, wrapped into one, are what keeps me going when all hope is seemingly lost.

Retracting from my thoughts is never a problem when Daryl strategically shifts the angles of his deep, gorgeous thrusts to intentionally brush right up against my prostate; immediately causing my back to arch up off the ground. He swallows the throaty moan that nearly rips deep from the back of my throat, and repeatedly thrusts in as deeply as he can all because he knows that’s how I like it.

My hands untangle from the sleeping bags to reach up to wrap around his biceps for support, and all it takes is just two more thrusts directly into said prostate before I’m chanting out ‘Daryl, **Daryl** , **_Daryl_** ’ from beneath him; my body convulsing with pleasure as my orgasm consumes me. He follows suit quickly after, leaning forward and burying his face in my arm; biting down hard on my flesh in an attempt to keep quiet as he spilled everything that he had to give deep inside of me.

It took a moment or two before Daryl, ever the gentleman, retracted himself from me and cleaned the both of us up. He then leaned in to press a soft kiss to my lips, before quite literally crashing his body down beside me. I turned on my side to face him, taking in every inch of the perfection beside me. His well toned chest was slick with sweat as it rose and fell quite dramatically as he tried to regulate his breathing, and I couldn't help but fall just the slightest bit more in love with him as he reached out for my hand, and brought it up to his lips to press a small kiss to my skin.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave you today,” he said to me, his voice small as he rubbed a calloused thumb over my skin. I leaned over so that my body was hovering slightly over his, and leaned down to press a deep kiss to Daryl’s lips.

“I promise you, one day soon, we’ll lay around all day, if you want,” I said to him, much like he had done to me earlier. “We’ll take a day for ourselves, answering only to ourselves and doing as we please,” I added, truly meaning my words as his strong arms wrapped around my body, securely holding me in place on top of him. He leaned in to kiss me once again, and it took everything I had in me not to whine out in pure protest because those words that were meant to encourage Daryl into getting out of bed were clearly not enough to make either of us move.

“But for now...” I finally said, regretfully, pouting slightly.

“I know, I know,” Daryl murmured, grinning against my lips despite knowing our time together for the moment was nearing its end. “We both got shit to do, may as well get out there an’ do it. We’re continuin’ this later, though, you got me?”

“Oh, I’ve got you,” I smiled, kissing him once more before getting off of him so that we could both get dressed.

He finished before me, boots already laced up all before I even got the shirt pulled up over my head.

“All you’ve got is watch duty today, right?” he asked, reaching a hand out to thumb out over my cheek.

I nodded, leaning into his touch. “I’m off to relieve Dale right now.”

“Good,” he replied, giving me a small smile. “I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

I nodded, knowing that even though Daryl would probably be back before sundown, there was still a lot of dangers lurking around out there. I wouldn’t be able to relax until he got back, and that was still a long ways away.

“Be careful out there,” I said to him, giving him the best smile that I could muster up under the circumstances. He leaned in to kiss me once more, this one deep and hungry and passionate and over way too quickly but it was more than enough.

“I’ll see you soon,” Daryl said, kissing me once more, before departing from our little makeshift home.

I quickly finished lacing up my sneakers and stuck my hat on my head, before exiting the tent and setting out for the general direction of the RV.

“Ah, thanks Glenn, right on time,” Dale greeted me with a smile when he saw me advancing toward him.

“Sorry I didn’t make it here sooner, I bet you’re exhausted,” I called out to him, before beginning to climb up the ladder of the RV.

“Hey Glenn?”

I was only halfway up the ladder when the voice to my right caught my attention.

“Morning Andrea,” I said to her, greeting her with a smile.

“Morning,” she smiled back, despite wringing her hands almost nervously in front of her. “I was wondering, when is the next time you plan on making a run into town?”

I finished climbing up to the top of the RV, shaking Dale’s hand momentarily before relieving the older man of his duties for the day. He gave Andrea a hug as he passed her, and before long she was heading up the stairs of the RV.

I took a seat in the trusty lawn chair, before thinking about Andrea’s question from before.

“I hadn’t really thought about it to be honest,” I replied, giving a small shrug. “Why, is there something that you need?”

“Yeah... I’m in kind of a desperate situation, actually. I’d go myself, but I’m kind of... well, not feeling very well and I don’t think it’s a very good idea considering how sluggish I feel,” she replied, keeling over and holding on to her stomach. I’d seen my sisters in that same stance too many times to count, I knew exactly what was wrong with her without even having to ask.

“I’m guessing your cramps are pretty terrible, huh?” I asked, to which she nodded miserably in reply.

“Fucking World War III is happening in my uterus, man,” she replied, and immediately I felt sympathetic toward her. I’m so happy that I don’t have a uterus of my own, I hear those cramps can hurt something fierce.

“I’m guessing you need me to run into the city for some lady products for you?”

“Considering I’m down to my last one and my fucking period started today, I’ll take all of your morning watch shifts for a week if you can go out and get me more,” she replied, giving me a hopeful look.

“It’s not the first time one of my sisters has asked me to go on a run for tampons. I’ll see if I can find you some chocolate and aspirin, too,” I said, getting up from the chair so that Andrea could have it. I handed her the rifle that Dale had just handed to me, but before she could take a seat, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight.

“Thanks Glenn,” she sighed out, before taking the seat. “You’re a real lifesaver, I’m so grateful that we have you.”

“Don’t mention it,” I said, smiling back at her, before climbing down the ladder and heading over to where Carol and Lori was cooking breakfast.

“Morning Glenn,” Carol said, gifting me with that very kind smile of hers. “Hungry?”

“Starved, actually,” I said, graciously accepting the bowl of oatmeal that she handed out to me. “I’m heading out into the city in a little while, is there anything that I can get for you?”

The two women exchanged a quick glance at one another, before naming off several different things that Lori was writing down on a piece of paper for me. I took a seat on one of the logs that was set up around the fire, mentally preparing myself for the sudden shift in tasks for the day. Going out on a supply run was of course a bit more strenuous than taking watch, so after downing two bowls of oatmeal and a full cup of water, I grabbed the list from Lori and headed back into my tent to gather up a few supplies of my own to take into town with me.

As I emptied out the bag, I took note that Daryl and I were almost out of lube, and made a mental note to try to find some while I was out. Convenience stores typically had some, and there were several CVS and other pharmacy type places that I could check out. It wouldn't be too hard to find something for ourselves while I was out.

And then it hit me; Daryl didn’t know that I was going out into the city today. He wasn't my keeper by any means, but I did tell him that all I had to do was sit on top of the RV all day. Now that plans have changed, it was only right that I left him a note telling him so.

As I rummaged around in my backpack, I found the permanent marker that I kept just in case, and tore a piece of paper off of Lori’s list.

_Daryl-_  
Had to go on an emergency run to the city, I’ll see you tonight when I get back.  
I hope your day out hunting has been a really good one. 

_PS- Don’t worry, I’ll get your truck back to you in one piece.  
I love you. - Glenn._

I folded up the paper, grabbed Daryl’s truck keys from where he had instructed they would be ‘in case I ever needed them for anything’ and headed back toward the RV.

“Hey Andrea, do you think you could do me a favor?” I asked, gaining her attention.

“Considering you’re about to do me the biggest kindness imaginable, that answer is hell yes,” the blonde grinned brightly at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back at her. I held the note up for her to take, and she did so, tucking the piece of paper safely in her pocket.

“Give that to Daryl for me if he gets back before I do,” I said, to which she nodded.

“You guys are so damn cute,” she replied, rolling her eyes playfully. “Thanks so much again, be careful out there.”

“I will,” I said, grinning once more at her before bidding her adieu.

~~~

The journey into the city actually wasn’t as strenuous as previous days gone by. Fires were blazing off into the distance, probably from an airstrike or just some damned souls that felt like watching something burn. I got in with minimal trouble; only having to dispatch the few random strays of walkers that were lurking around.

My bag was already stuffed with all sorts of different feminine products, as well as three jumbo sized bags of different types of fun-sized candy bars inside of them. I figured they wouldn’t be just for Andrea, but maybe for the kids, too. Lord knows Carl and Sophia have earned it, considering how good they have been, behavior wise. It can’t be easy to be a kid in the zombie apocalypse, they must be bored out of their minds.

I meandered my way over to the pharmacy next, cleaning it out of different types of antibiotics, as well as just regular Tylenol, Advil, and Midol for the girls, just in case the other stuff medication wouldn’t be enough to tackle whatever symptoms they may be battling. Hearing Andrea refer to ‘World War III happening in her uterus’ made me realize for the millionth time just how happy I am to be a guy.

After gathering half of my list, I set out for the other things that had been requested. Batteries, shampoo, body wash, hand sanitizer, deodorant, and other random things were thrown into my now over-stuffed bag. I had just enough room in the little side compartment for two brand new bottles of lube for me and Daryl; because, well, we’ve earned it, dammit.

I had half a mind to go out and empty this bag out into the truck, before the school supplies aisle caught my eye. My lips curved up into a smile as I took one of the brand new backpacks off of the shelf; someone was certainly smiling down on me from up above, because it was a Spongebob backpack, and it just so happened the little yellow guy was one of my favorite cartoon characters. I used to watch the show with my nephews, it always put them in the best moods and I couldn’t hide the fact that the show itself was pretty fantastic.

Sighing at the memory of my nephews, I swallowed up the ache in my heart and carried on to what was left of the food section. I emptied the shelves of as many canned foods that I could, adding in some granola bars and crackers and whatever else I could grab, before zipping up the now full bag. I hopped behind the counter to grab a few cartons of Marlboro 72‘s for Daryl.

With these in hand, my skipped a beat or two when I realized just how happy Daryl was going to be with me when he realized what I had gotten for him. I heaved both of the now almost overflowing bags onto my back, and with my machete in hand, made my way back out to where I had parked the truck.

I made it in no time, only having to kill two walkers along the way. I couldn’t stop the tugging, nagging feeling that had just settled in my gut, and quickly tossed the two bags inside of the cab of the truck. I took a look at my surroundings, realizing that the coast was still very much clear. I then took a look up at the sky, and figured that it was still early enough in the day. Considering there was so much room in the truck for more supplies, it would be such a waste if I didn’t utilize that space and the remaining time left to gather up even more supplies.

I quickly went back into the store, grabbing a shopping cart from the side of the store and filled it up with as many gallons of water that I could. I emptied out the shelves of 24-pack bottles of water as well, and paused behind the liquor cabinet to grab a bottle of Johnnie Walker for Daryl, before hauling my cart as quietly as I could back to the truck.

I took in my surroundings as best that I could, and couldn’t stop the chill from creeping up my spine as I noticed just how eerily quiet everything was. Of course since the world had gone to hell, there weren’t very much noises to be heard, except for the constant walker groan that seemed embedded in my psyche. But even the groan and shuffle of the walkers weren’t to be heard...

Shrugging, I quickly loaded up all of the bottles and jugs of water that I’d collected into the back of the truck.

My mind ventured to a few different places while I was doing so, like how excited I was for Daryl to see all of the goodies that I gotten for him, and how I couldn't fucking _wait_ til we get to use that ‘warming sensation’ lube that I had found.

My mind then shifted to back to the task at hand, pausing to look around once again for any sign of life; be it in human form or walker form. I was met with absolute silence all around me. I then tallied up and realized that I had killed a total of eight walkers on this entire trip.

It used to be that I had killed so many on every run that I lost track, but this time... this trip was very different. The sinking feeling in my gut had grown exponentially worse as I came to that realization.

I really shouldn’t be complaining that I only had to kill eight of those reanimated flesh-hungry bastards. I’ll admit, I do rather enjoy not having to outrun the usual herd or two (or five) of those walker fucks that I encounter on my usual ventures into and out of the city.

And it was then, that I realized _exactly_ why the city had appeared to be so quiet.

It’s because it _was_ quiet. The herds, they weren’t here anymore. They had moved on, out of the city... fuck, the geeks had moved out of the city.

My heart lurched out of my chest at the thought of the walkers now making their way out of the city, and out onto the highway and possibly even; dare I even think it, out into the woods.

“Daryl...”

They could be making their way back to where we had set up our new camp, just as easily as they had attacked the old one back when we lost Jim and Amy. 

“Fuck,” I cursed, as I threw myself into the driver’s side of the truck, and floored it all the way back to the camp, hoping with everything that I had that I wasn’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you may have noticed, we're altering the timeline a bit and diverting a bit from the original storyline, please enjoy the ride and just go with it :)


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